WINDSOR — — The board of ethics on Thursday voted unanimously to dismiss two complaints filed against Superintendent Jeffrey Villar and board of education President Doreen Richardson.

The complaints were filed in connection with a school board decision to hire an outside consultant to perform an equity study at Windsor High School for more than $300,000. The complaint was filed by Republican school board members Pam DiGiore, Paul Panos and Cristina Santos.

The complaint against Villar alleged that he violated board policy on purchasing practices by entering into a contract with Loyola University Prof. Marlon James to conduct the three-year study. The complaint also charged that Villar had a conflict of interest. It also alleged that Villar violated the ethics code by endorsing James for the study without proposing any other candidates for the board to consider.

The equity study is an effort to find explanations for the achievement gap between minority and white students in the town's school system, and will investigate how the schools educate culturally and economically diverse groups.

"Yes, there was a business transaction, but it didn't' involve him," board of ethics Chairman Tim Fitzgerald said prior to the 5-0 vote to dismiss the complaint.

Afterward, Villar said he was confident he'd be exonerated, but added that he was disappointed that members of the school board felt the need to pursue the complaint, even though the board's attorney found there was no evidence to support either allegation.

The complaint against Richardson, a Democrat, alleged that she had a long-term professional relationship with James and that she steered the board into making a decision to approve him for the study. The complaint also alleged that Richardson publicly endorsed James without providing the same opportunity to similar consultants.

"There's nothing to show that we have evidence to proceed," ethics board member James Welsh said before the 5-0 vote to dismiss the claim against Richardson.

"What happened was inevitable," Richardson said after the decision. "There has never been any action by Dr. Villar or myself to undermine the integrity of our system."

Prior to the vote the board discussed a 2008 opinion written by Town Attorney Vincent Oswecki in which he ruled that the board of ethics didn't possess the authority to hear complaints brought against paid or elected members of the board of education.

The board of ethics voted unanimously that it does have the authority to hear complaints brought against the board of education.